NLLN - Member Profiles

Jenna Kahly, Lake Agassiz Regional Library

Growing up outside of West Fargo, working with children in libraries was not what Jenna Kahly thought her future would be.

Fast forward a decade and she's doing just that as the regional youth service coordinator for the Lake Agassiz Regional Library in Moorhead.

"I thought I was going to have a music career, and then I quickly discovered that was a hobby," Jenna says of her start at NDSU. After her dreams of becoming a famous vocalist were given a reality check, she decided to major in English.

While searching for the perfect career in college, Jenna noticed, "I really like working with kids and I'm passionate about the mission of libraries," adding, "it was an easy decision."

During her five years at the Moorhead Public Library, Jenna started as the children's librarian and moved up to the regional youth service coordinator where she determines "what resources our libraries need to best support youth programing."

One of her favorite children's programs four years ago still has all the library staff and patrons clucking. Incubated eggs were brought into the library for pre-school children to learn about embryonic development. Holes were cut in a few of the egg shells for the children to see the embryo develop over time.

"In the end, we had chickens in the library, which is super fun," Jenna laughed. People still ask her, "Are you going to have chickens in the library?"

When she's not developing youth programs or working on how to bring farm animals into the library, she can be caught reading one of her favorite children's books.

"I really like children's books, I don't read grown-up books," Jenna said with a kind laugh. She especially loves how children's books are creative and capture life in a more concise way.

"I really love working with the public and all the different kinds of needs and interests, and personalities," Jenna said. It's easy to see the love for her career when she's working in the Moorhead Public Library.

When asked what her favorite part about her job is, she replied with a smile, "Every day is fun," followed by her infectious laughter.

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1-800-450-1032

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